Our trip on Hurtigruten’s MS Roald Amundsen is billed as an eastbound “attempt” to cross the Northwest Passage. We were supposed to sail on the afternoon of August 21, but the Bering Sea was so rough from the typhoon that our departure was postponed until 10 AM the next day.
Despite modest hopes, we did not see Russia.
Famed Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, (for whom our ship is named and who led the first successful expedition to the South Pole) was the first to successfully navigate the Northwest Passage in 1903-1906. It took him 3 1/2 years. Our plan is to follow his route in reverse.
The next successful transit of the passage was in 1942. It took an additional 42 years before the first commercial passenger vessel crossing. To date, there have been around 80 passenger ship sailings through the Northwest Passage. With climate change the passage is becoming more accessible. Ships adhere to strict regulations and must obtain permits and community permission to visit historical, archeological, nature, and community sites.
If all goes well, we’ll cover at least 5,270 nautical miles. There are 277 passengers on board (capacity 530). Forty-some boarded a couple weeks before us in Vancouver and are on a 3-month pole-to-pole adventure, sailing all the way to Antarctica.
Our first several days are spent at sea, working our way up the long western and northern Alaskan coast.
We had a ceremony marking our crossing of the Arctic Circle. A god appeared to announce the event.
Those of us hardy (foolish) enough to participate were handed a shot of brandy for fortification and baptized with ice water.
We spent these days acclimating to the 4 hour time difference. So we eat and nap, walk laps on the top deck, and attend lectures and activities presented by the expedition team. We picked up our expedition jackets, the heavy boots required for landings, and life jackets worn for small boat cruising / landings in zodiacs
Decorating our water bottles with stencils and colored marker pens
On board we have geologists, ornithologists, marine biologists, astronomers, cetologists (whale guy), environmental scientists, historians, and story tellers. They come from countries as varied as Poland, Chile, the US, and Norway. They will offer lectures and workshops throughout the voyage, usually several times daily. Guests can sign up to participate in additional activities like Science at Sea sample collection, kayaking, and learning about clouds and weather and whales and feathers and plankton and rocks and whatever else we encounter.
Tom captured this shot of a humpback whale, extremely close to the ship
We also have on board 8-10 cultural ambassadors, representing the Inuit people who have lived for centuries in the area through which we’ll be traveling. They will be presenting talks and workshops on various Inuit cultural and historical topics such as throat singing, history, cultural trauma, tattoos, beadwork, games, film industry, respectful behavior when visiting their communities, etc. Most of the ambassadors are tribal members; others have partnered closely with them doing fieldwork or at the Smithsonian.
The days are as busy and interactive as one wishes to make them. It’s an environment focused on appreciating the environment and the experience, not entertainment like stage shows and casinos.
On Sunday, Tom woke up not doing so well. He has a chronic condition that flared up, and the treatment he needed wasn’t available on the ship.
As disappointed as we all were, the timing was fortuitous. We were due north of Utqiagvik (formerly known as Barrow, Alaska), the northernmost town in the US, 1311 miles from the North Pole. We were as close to aid as we’d be for the next two weeks.
The ship doctor, captain, and US coast guard coordinated his evacuation while the ship halted our eastward progress.
Waiting to board the chopper, still smiling
He was lifted in the basket to the chopper.
Accompanied by a coast guard medic
And off they go.
PS Tom was taken to Barrow, where he transferred to a Lear jet and flown to Fairbanks.
his private Lear jet
They determined he should be seen by a specialist in Anchorage, so he was next flown there. He was able to fly home to Ohio two days later and is doing fine now. We miss him, but all three know it was absolutely the best decision.
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